ADDISON, TEXAS (Dec. 29, 2015) – Nearly 90 percent of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions will fail. (Washington Post) As a leader in women’s health and wellness, Solis Mammography took a look at five of the biggest New Year’s resolution fails, with suggestions for ways to overcome bars set a bit too high.

For example, weight loss tops out the list. The problem is that, like men, women pledge dramatic changes instead of gradual habits that will stick. For instance, someone will fail with a month-long juice fast, where they might succeed if they cut back on dessert.

“Health and wellness resolutions are really about making important changes that affect your physical, mental and social well-being,” says Connie Oliver, vice president of marketing and client relations for Solis Mammography. “It’s not so much about shedding the muffin top, as it is cutting back on the muffins for breakfast and deciding oatmeal will fuel your day better. It’s about making long-term adjustments to how we live, so we can get more out of life.”

But people tend to set unreasonable goals and make absolute statements to motivate themselves, which has the opposite affect when you, say, break open a bag of chips when your resolution was NO CHIPS (Huffington Post). Here are five epic health and wellness resolution fails, and how you can stick to your resolutions:

1. Fitting into your skinny jeans. According to statisicbrain.com, 38 percent of all New Year’s resolutions focus on weight loss. Unfortunately, women tend to unrealistically restrict themselves, quickly falling off the horse.

Instead, make healthier food choices; substitute water for soda, and start using a calorie counting program like Weight Watchers or My Fitness Pal to better understand the calories you are actually consuming. Many women underestimate the calories they put in their mouths.

2. Run a half-marathon. Fitness goals are good, but unless you’ve successfully run a 10K, focusing on a half-marathon probably isn’t the best place to start.

Instead, work up to exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends activity for at least 2.5 hours a week. Many women think “gym,” but starting with a walk outdoors is usually a good first step. Recruit a buddy who will hold you accountable. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. And make sure you talk to your doctor before starting anything strenuous.

3. Conquering your to-do list by sacrificing sleep. Many women try to accomplish more with late nights and early mornings. But insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions (CDC).

Instead, remove TVs and gadgets from your bedroom, create a quiet relaxing environment, and try to schedule your sleep. Adults need 7-8 hours. And remember – sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.

4. Stop drinking. For some, the need to stop drinking is life or death. Others realize they overindulge and decide to quit cold turkey. You’ll need to inventory your lifestyle, and talk to your doctor to decide which category you’re in. Studies show that if you can consistently drink two drinks without needing anymore alcohol, you are in a safe zone. But if two drinks consistently trigger the need for more, you might have a problem.

Instead of going it alone, if you fall into the latter category, get help. Alcohol is a real addiction, and a resolution to abruptly stop isn’t going to work. There are a lot of organizations to help.

5. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Only go to the doctor when you spike a fever? No news is good news, right? Wrong!

Instead, keeping up with regular doctor visits and tests can help you live longer and healthier (WebMD). For example, twice a year dental visits, annual pap smears, vaccines, blood pressure, mammograms starting at 40 and colonoscopies starting at 50 are examples of things you should schedule regularly.

“Screenings are important for early detection, so if an issue is discovered, treatment is easier,” says Oliver. “And with technology constantly advancing, many screenings are much more accurate and sometimes easier than they used to be. For example, 2D mammograms are the standard, but newer 3D mammograms – also known as tomosynthesis – take a much more detailed view of the breast and have been shown to significantly reduce the number of false positives and recalls for additional testing.”

About Solis Mammography

Solis Mammography is a specialized health care provider focused exclusively on providing women an exceptional mammography experience. Headquartered in Addison, Texas, Solis currently operates centers across four states – Texas, Arizona, Ohio and North Carolina. The company operates both wholly owned centers and multiple successful joint ventures with hospital partners. Solis provides a complete range of highly specialized breast health services including screening and diagnostic mammography (2D and 3D), computer-aided detection, breast ultrasound, stereotactic biopsy and ultrasound-guided biopsy. For more information, visit www.SolisMammo.com, like them on Facebook, follow them on Pinterest and Twitter, or subscribe to their YouTube channel.